Page 239 - An Indispensible Resource for Being a Credible Activist

CHAPTER 14

WHAT MATTERS? ACCURATELY

DISCERNING MUSCLE FROM FAT

When we ask “What matters?” we’re asking HR credible activists and executive leadership
what matters to the company and to the employees. Here are some correct responses:
● The company functions as efficiently, safely, and profitably as possible while also
being compliant with all required laws.
● Leadership understands how to value employees and support efficiency, safety, and
profitability in a way that is clear and workable for everyone through established
practices and processes.
● Employees feel valued by the company and are motivated to do their best work.
● Unnecessary costs are intentionally avoided, and there are systems in place designed
to avoid and address them.
Think about your company and ask yourself if these basics are in place. Unless you have
intentionally created a system that ensures these outcomes, chances are they are not. By sys-
temically implementing the crucial linchpins of corporate competitive governance, you will
enjoy these outcomes and you will boost profits and efficient use of resources. The first step
is to discern the muscle from the fat in your company. To begin, we start at the top.

SEPARATING MUSCLE FROM FAT

9 to 5, Norma Rae, The Insider, Erin Brockovich, Office Space, The Grapes of Wrath, The
Office, Silkwood and Serpico. You don’t want a movie or a television series like any of these
blockbusters made about, or based on, your company. You also don’t want employees to
blog negatively about your company. And you certainly don’t want the expense and embar-
rassment of being in violation of the seeming alphabet soup of laws with which you must
comply: FLSA, FMLA, ADA, ADEA, ERISA, Title VII, EPA, FCA, EPPA (Employee Polygraph
Protection Act), OSHA, NLRA, COBRA, HIPAA, USERRA, WARN, and so on. This book does
not provide legal advice; however, OD has taught us how to remain legally compliant while
also remaining efficient, productive, and profitable. What makes a company wind up as the
focus of scandal, public disdain, or costly lawsuits and fines? Fat.
What is fat and what is muscle? Fat is anything that prevents, diminishes, or destroys
what matters. Muscle is anything that promotes, propels, and supports what matters. All
leaders and managers are human and may not always be able to accurately assess what is
fat and what is muscle. Humans make errors regularly. Organization development theory
and practice help us discern accurately between fat and muscle. The crucial linchpins of

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